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Turkish border to stay open to Syrian refugees

  • Updated: July 25, 2012 - 8:32 PM

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Turkey has closed its border with Syria to commercial traffic, but the United Nations' refugee agency said the border would remain open to those fleeing the conflict in Syria and that hundreds of people had made their way across in the past 24 hours.

Turkish customs officials announced they were closing the 566-mile border on Wednesday after the seizure of two crossing points by Syrian rebel forces last week. At one crossing point, Bab al-Hawa, dozens of Turkish trucks were burned or looted when the rebels seized control, the Associated Press reported.

Wednesday's decision, which Turkish officials said affects three border posts still open at Cilvegozu, Oncupinar and Karkamis, coincided with an upsurge in fighting between government and rebel forces in Aleppo, about 30 miles from Bab al-Hawa.

Turkish authorities have given assurances that the border is still open to people seeking to cross for humanitarian reasons, Sybella Wilkes, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Wednesday. "We do know that people have continued to cross."

NEW YORK TIMES

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